From Chanel to Elie Tahari: Fashion greats embroiled in controversies

Elie Tahari, Ltd. is a fashion company founded by Israeli immigrant Elie Tahari in 1974. His philosophy is simple: “Clothing should be quieter than the woman so that her true beauty can shine through.”

Speaking of quiet women, Tahari may be wishing that fashion consultant Marcy Castelgrande were one right about now. On Friday, The New York Daily News reported that she filed a $12 million sexual harassment lawsuit against him.

The suit alleges that in an incident that occurred in December 2011, he touched her inappropriately in front of “at least ten people,” then fired her when she complained about it. The New York Daily News contacted both Tahari’s attorney and a spokesperson for the company, and both declined to comment.

This comes less than two months after designer Catherine Malandrino sued him for $15 million. According to her attorney, Tahari and his partner bought a 75 percent interest in her eponymous brand in 2011 for $5 million and a five-year compensation deal. But rather than expand it, he sold it to the brand management company Bluestar Alliance and allegedly cut her out of the $7 million deal.

“We are surprised that she has chosen this course of action and sure that the courts will agree that the lawsuit is completely baseless and without merit,” a Tahari spokesman said to The New York Post.

If there’s a there there, then Tahari joins the very long line of scandal-plagued fashion industry figures. This begs the question, is there something about this industry that causes high degrees of melodrama? Or are its personalities simply mercurial types who inspire gossip because they’re more famous than the rest of us?

Whatever the case, Tahari is not alone when it comes to fashion figures who made headlines for more than just their silhouettes. Some just made thoughtless remarks, while others engaged in behavior that was truly heinous.

World-renowned fashion designer Oscar de la Renta dies aged 82

This post is in partnership with Time. The article below was originally published at Time.com.

By Helen Regan, TIME

World-renowned fashion designer Oscar de la Renta passed away Monday at the age of 82.

He died after a long battle with cancer, with which he was diagnosed in 2006, ABC News reports.

De la Renta is famous for designing red-carpet gowns for the cream of A-list celebrities over the past 50 years.

He first became known internationally in the 1960s when he dressed Jackie Kennedy, and since then continued to cater for several First Ladies as well as Hollywood’s top stars. Michelle Obama wore him for the first time ever a couple weeks ago, and he also designed Amal Clooney’s wedding dress.

De la Renta was born in the Dominican Republic to an influential family, but left his homeland aged 18 to study painting in Spain. It was there that he became interested in fashion designing, and after an apprenticeship with designer Cristobal Balenciaga, he moved to Paris and worked in several French fashion houses.

In 1965, he launched his ready-to wear label and his work since then has made him a legend in the fashion world.